


WOEOT: One Shots

by ihadadate



Series: everybody wants to rule the world [5]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: 1940s, Drabble, Family, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Twins, World War II, may have pacific stuff in here but TBA, not ready to give anything up lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-03 05:54:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11525913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ihadadate/pseuds/ihadadate
Summary: Hey guys, welcome back! As you all know, I have decided that while I'm still trying to piece together the plot for the sequel, I would be writing one shots and stuff in the mean time! This means I will be writing/uploading scenes that didn't make the final cut of WOEOT. I may include one shots for The Pacific as well. If you guys want to like, suggest any other scenarios, I'll be willing to do it! This is going to be a lot of fun :)In the beginning of each chapter, I will state what it's about. The chapters will vary in length and will not be in chronological order. Hope you enjoy this first chapter in the series!* * *Title: The Ten Day FurloughSummary: Easy gets a ten day leave, and Madison goes home to visit her family.





	1. The Ten Day Furlough

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, welcome back! As you all know, I have decided that while I'm still trying to piece together the plot for the sequel, I would be writing one shots and stuff in the mean time! This means I will be writing/uploading scenes that didn't make the final cut of WOEOT. I may include one shots for The Pacific as well. If you guys want to like, suggest any other scenarios, I'll be willing to do it! This is going to be a lot of fun :)
> 
> In the beginning of each chapter, I will state what it's about. The chapters will vary in length and will not be in chronological order. Hope you enjoy this first chapter in the series!
> 
> * * *
> 
> Title: The Ten Day Furlough
> 
> Summary: Easy gets a ten day leave, and Madison goes home to visit her family.

The Ten Day Furlough

 

They were at Fort Benning for almost a whole month when Colonel Sink had pinned the silver parachute wings to each and every soldier on December 26, 1942. Afterwards, everyone celebrated with drinking. It was a blast. Everyone knew you were the best of the best with the silver wings on.

Everyone received a ten day furlough for home. Colonel Sink had told them all to behave well and to return on time.

Madison was so excited. She'll be seeing her family and friends again. How exciting!

She rode back to Ohio with Donny Hoobler. All they did was blabber away while onlookers looked confused by Madison's appearance. She mostly ignored their looks, she wasn't going to be bothered by them.

Madison got off at the train station in Dayton and took a cab to her house. She had not told her relatives that she was back. She was going to surprise them. That was her Christmas gift to them.

When the taxi driver stopped in front of her house, she paid him and looked up at her house. A two story, American Foursquare home. She loved it.

“Madison? _Ist, dass Du, Schatz?_ ”

Madison did not not notice that someone was sitting on the swing porch. By the sound of their voice, however, she knew that it was her grandfather, Michael Klein.

“ _Ja, Großvater, es ist mir,_ ” Madison shouted loud enough for him to hear as she made her way up the porch steps. “ _Wir haben zehn Tage Urlaub_.”

“Ah, come here my little _mädchen_!” Michael had his hands on his granddaughter’s shoulders, examining her. “Look at you! We are so proud of you!” He drew her in close, hugging her. Madison hugged her grandfather in return.

The front door opened. “ _Opa_ , who are you--Maddie!”

Madison smiled widely as she turned to face her sister. “Morgy! How are you? Is mama or papa home?”

“ _Nein_ , mama went to the store and took Mikey with her, and papa’s still working hard as always,” Morgan shook her head. She checked her sister out. “Wow, you look different!”

“I know. Training is intense,” Madison explained. “How about we go inside and catch up? It's kind of cold out here, don't you think?”

 

* * *

 

The three Kleins made their way inside the home. Everything inside looked the same to Madison. Nothing had really changed during her first few months away.

They sat in the dining area, where the twins’ grandmother joined them and served them a few snacks here and there.

Madison was telling all sorts of stories about training. She left out the parts when men gave her a hard time and were cruel to her, because she didn't want them to worry. Instead she told the grueling details of training and her friends. She had just finished the details of her Thanksgiving (AKA: crawling through pig guts--that wasn’t nothing new--and being shot at with live ammo) when the front door opened.

“I'm home!” Came the voice of Marlene Klein, the mother of the four Klein children.

“We are in here, Marlene!” Michael shouted. Moments later Mikey came rushing in. He stopped and gasped when he saw Madison.

“Maddie!” He shouted in joy. He ran to her side and all but jumped in her lap. “Mama! Maddie’s here!”

Marlene sighed as she began to enter the dining room, carrying most of the bags. “Mikey, Maddie's at--” she stopped in the archway and one of the bags slipped from her grasp. “Madison! You're home!”

Madison grinned, as she got up from her seat after she got Mikey off her. She helped her mother pick up the fallen groceries. “We just graduated jump school and we were granted a ten day leave.”

“Oh, how wonderful! Thank you, sweetheart,” Marlene kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Help me with the groceries, will you?”

"Yes, mama."

* * *

 

 

Matthew Klein, Sr. came home around suppertime and when he found a woman in uniform lounging on the couch flipping through a magazine, he was startled. He didn't recognize who it was at first.

“Madison?”

Said teenager looked up from her magazine, grinning at her father. She wouldn't admit it, but she missed seeing her father in his sweat and grime after a hard day at work.

“Hi pops,” Madison stood up, as she smoothed out her uniform. She stood straight, as it was a force of habit for her.

Matthew, Sr. studied his daughter. While she was still short, he could see there was a muscle gain. Her hair seemed shorter as well.

“They didn't give you a skirt to wear?” Matthew, Sr. asked.

Madison shrugged. “I'm not going to be jumping out of a plane in a skirt.”

Matthew, Sr. chuckled. “I suppose not.”

“Matthew? Is that you?” Marlene shouted from the kitchen.

“Yes, _mein liebling_!” Matthew, Sr. shouted back.

“Well, wash up! Dinner is ready!”

Matthew, Sr. looked back towards Madison, pushing her slightly. She stumbled a little and the older man smirked.

“Go, or your mama will get angry. I’m sure she cooked up a wonderful meal for your first night back.”

 

* * *

 

 

After a nice dinner and catching up with her family, it was soon time for bed so the twins went to their room and get prepared for bed. Morgan put on a nightgown while Madison was still in her army regulated clothing. She wore only a white shirt and her scratchy undershorts. Morgan took notice.

“Aren't you going to wear your pajamas?” Morgan asked. She said “your” but in reality it was “our”. The twins shared practically everything together.

“I can't. We’re supposed to stay in uniform,” Madison explained. Morgan made an “oh” sound.

“So, anything new happening here?” Madison asked, as they each settled on their own twin bed. Each twin had their legs crisscrossed on their beds. Madison was leaning back, propping herself up by her arms while Morgan was brushing her hair, thinking.

“No, not really,” Morgan answered. “I mean, it’s different without you here. It’s not the same, and I guess we can’t keep telling people what we have been saying.”

“Which is…?”

“That you were staying with Uncle Jack and Aunt Sarah,” Morgan’s face got rather flustered, as if she was embarrassed to tell her.

“Wow, everybody must think I’m a bad kid, then!” Madison joked.

“You are,” Morgan answered in a heartbeat. Madison gasped dramatically.

“Hey!” she cried, as she took her pillow and chucked it at her sister. It hit Morgan squared in the face. Morgan squeaked.

“Maddie!” she cried.

“Oh, you’re face is fine,” Madison waved it off.

“Training has really changed you. Oh, you should tell me about the men! Are the cute? Single? Do you like any of them?”

“Yes, some, and only as friends,” Madison answered in one sentence. Morgan gave her a look.

“Really? You don’t like any of them?”

“Not in a romantic way, if that’s what you’re asking,” Madison answered. She couldn’t help but grimace at the thought. Liking any of them? Like _that_? No thanks.

“You’re lame,” Morgan insisted. Madison narrowed her eyes at her sister. She was about to say something but Morgan asked her to tell her about some of the men, so she relented.

“Hm...I don't know where to start,” Madison began, her index finger tapping her chin as she thought.

“How about you start with the first one you met, and so on,” Morgan suggested. Madison’s eyes lit up.

“Good idea!” She thought back. “Well the first person I talked to was Joe Liebgott.”

“A Jewish man?” Morgan questioned.

“ _Ja_ ,” Madison nodded. “Dark hair, dark eyes. Very tall and lanky. He's lives in California. Speaks German too, so we gossip about the others a lot. He's a good guy, although he likes to push my buttons--”

Morgan snorted. “Like that's new.”

“Ha ha ha,” Madison gave a mock laugh, giving her sister a sarcastic look. _I hate this family._

“Okay, so we have this mysterious Joe character. Who did you talk to after?”

Madison talked about everyone. She spoke of Don Malarkey, who their Grandma would like because he was an Irishman. Skip Muck, who is in fact cute but reminded Madison more of Matt than anything. Alex Penkala and his thirteen siblings. (Thirteen! Madison wants to scream every time she thinks about that.) Bill Guarnere and Ralph Spina from South Philly. Eugene Roe, a rather quiet man who was unsure if he would be a good enough medic. She blabbered on and on.

“Donny Hoobler is one of the nicest people ever. He has these big, floppy ears which I find adorable,” Madison rose her hands to each side of her head, mimicking what she was explaining. “But I guess a lot of people don't like him because of his mama. I don't see why, he's a sweet guy!”

“They all sound like nice people. All sound very handsome, too. Well I don't know about this Donny guy and his Dumbo ears…” Morgan trailed off. Madison threw her pillow at her sister again.

“I was only kidding!”

 

* * *

 

The next day the twins went to one of the local neighborhood diners to meet up with their friends. None of them knew that Madison was back for about a week and a half.

Madison couldn't help but feel awkward as she walked around. She had orders that she was not allowed to dress in civilian clothing of any kind. She was to stay in uniform. It wasn't uncommon for girls to wear pants, but it was frowned upon as well. Madison couldn't help but wish that they issued her a skirt, but it's like what she had told her father the previous day. She wasn't going to jump in a skirt.

The diner they entered was a place where teenagers mostly occupied. The place was not too crowded, but there were a good amount of people there.

The twins made their way to their friends, who were sitting in a booth and were chattering quietly, not yet noticing the pair. While they didn't, others sure did take look at them. More specifically, Madison and her uniform. If they wanted to say something about it, they never did.

“Oh, hi Morgan, hi Maddie,” Jean Summers spot them first, as she sat where she could face them. She stopped, realizing Madison was there. Louise, who was sitting next to Jean and Madison’s best friend of the group, gaped.

“Maddie! You're back!” Louise, Jean, as well as Margie and Trudy, all jumped out of the booth and went to greet the twins.

“Only for a few days. We just finished jump school,” Madison explained, as she gestured to the wings she had earned. “See?”

“Wow, you're more spiffed up than my brother,” Jean said. “But why are we all standing? Let's sit down!”

The girls forced Madison to get in the booth first. Louise sat next to her, with Gertrude sitting at the end. Morgan sat across from her, with Jean next to her and Margie at the end.

Madison told the girls everything that she could while in turn, they told her what was happening while she was gone. Madison missed this, being with the girls and all.

“I'm seeing Sean Perry,” Gertrude mentioned. All of the girls, excluding Madison who looked at her quizzically, groaned.

“I feel like I know him,” Madison pondered, trying to remember what he looked like.

“He's tall, blond hair and the deepest shade of brown for eyes,” Gertrude sighed dreamily. “I think you two had history together?”

Madison realized exactly who she was referring to. “Oh! I know who you're talking about! I don't really know him, but he seems like a nice guy.”

“He’s not cute,” Margie cut in. Gertrude gasped.

“Hey!”

“So?” Madison shrugged. “He may not be cute to you, but Gertrude likes him. Now, she may not have the best taste in men-”

“Hey!”

“-but Sean seems like a nice guy.”

“He's really not,” Louise said, and Morgan nodded in agreement. Madison reconsidered.

“Okay, maybe I need more time to think about it.”

Gertrude pouted. Everyone noticed.

“To be fair, you do have an...interesting taste when it comes to the dating pool,” Madison said. Margie snorted.

“And you don't?”

Madison narrowed her eyes at her.

“Very funny, _Hündin_ ,” Madison bit. She almost felt like she was going to get sick, but that feeling soon went away when one of the waitresses came by.

“How are you doing, girls?” She asked. It was Laleia. She was probably in her early thirties, if the girls had to guess. Early thirties, thick figure, and a thick Hungarian accent. They all loved her.

“We’re doing great, Laleia! Tell the cooks that this is all better than what I get fed by the army with,” Madison joked. Laleia and the others laughed. “Honestly, this is one of best meals I’ve had since I got home….don’t tell my mama that.”

“And you’re the best waitress here!” Morgan exclaimed.

Madison nodded. “And you are the best waitress here.”

Laleia smiled widely. “Awe, you girls are too sweet! But I must get back to my other customers. Köszönöm!”

“ _¡De nada!_ ” Louise called out. She turned back to her friends. “So you won’t believe what my mama did _this_ time…”

 

* * *

 

It was soon for the group to disband. Madison promised that she'll see them all again before she left.

Madison, Morgan, and Louise all walked back to the Klein residence together. They talked about anything, really.

“So, what is it like?” Louise asked. Madison glanced up at her.

“What do you mean?”

“I don't know. Is it hard? Are they nice to you?”

“Physical was difficult at first, but then I got better at it,” Madison admitted. “And the men are generally nice with me, but not always. Some of them, mostly outside of Easy, like to make...comments about me.”

Louise nor Morgan asked what they said to her. They saw that even if Madison said it didn't bother her, they knew it did just the tiniest bit. She looked uncomfortable as she revealed the last bit of information.

“Why do you go through all of it, then?” Morgan asked.

“Because I have to. It is my duty. I need to do it,” Madison answered.

“The world does not deserve you,” Louise shook her head. Nothing else was really said the rest of the walk back to the Klein home.

Sooner rather than later, the three girls entered the house to find Mikey playing with toy trains...and Matt there joining in on the fun. The three girls looked on at the scene, none of them believing what they were seeing.

“Matt?”

The marine looked up, as did the youngest Klein child.

“Well I'll be damned,” Matt said as he got up from the floor, standing attention. “I'm home for the holidays.”

“Yeah, so am I,” Madison said. “Nice to see you.”

“Nice outfit,” Morgan said.

“Better than the paratrooper getup Maddie has,” Matt teased, going in to hug his sisters.

“At least I get paid more than you,” Madison retorted. Matt shoved her away in a playful manner.

“When did you get back?”

“I arrived yesterday. What time did you get here?”

“I arrived at the house a little after one,” Matt estimated. “Where did you three go?”

“Maddie and I met Louise and some of the others and we grabbed a bite to eat,” Morgan explained.

“Madison got a ton of looks,” Louise said. “No one can believe that she made it past basic and jump school!”

“Well, I did, so,” Madison shuffled, her arms folded across her chest as she rolled her eyes.

“That you did,” Matt agreed. “ _Glückwünsche_.”

“ _Vielen Dank, auch. Ich kann nicht glauben, dass sie eine so kleine Mann in die Marines!”_

Matt shoved his younger sister, with an agitated look on his face. Like his sisters and practically everyone else in their family, he didn’t like when people picked on him for his height.

“ _Sagt der zwerg_.”

While the two branches of the military bantered and joked around, Louise had leaned over to Morgan.

“What are they saying?” she whispered.

“Not a clue,” Morgan responded. “They’re speaking too fast, but I know that they’re picking on each other. There’s some rivalry going on.”

“It’s expected. She’s jumping out of airplanes and he’s a marine.”

 

* * *

 

 

Marlene’s mother and stepfather came and went and around the fifth day, there was a knock on the door.

“I got it!” Matt yelled out to the household. He opened the door to find a man, possibly around his age. He was of average height with brown eyes, brown hair, and floppy ears. He was wearing the same uniform Madison wore. Matt studied him. The stranger seemed to study him back.

“Hello. What can I do for you?” Matt asked, as he crossed his arms.

“I'm Private Donald Hoobler, sir. I'm a friend of your sister’s. Is she home?”

“Hey Matt, who’s at the door?” Morgan walked by, studying Hoobler as well. “Who’s this?”

“You know you're breaking regulation, right?” Hoobler said to the girl, thinking that Morgan was Madison.

Morgan cocked an eyebrow. “I'm sorry?”

“Hey, Hoobs. What are you doing here?”

Hoobler stared at her while her siblings turned around to face her.

“Who’s this?” Matt asked, rather tense.

“Oh, relax. This is one of my friends from training, Don Hoobler. Hoobler, these are two of my siblings, Matt and Morgan. Why are you standing outside, still? Come in!”

Matt and Morgan took a step back and allowed Hoobler to enter their home. Matt shut the door behind him. Hoobler looked down to face Morgan.

“I'm sorry for mistaking you as your sister. She wasn't kidding when she said you two looked alike!”

“We’re identical twins, Donny,” Madison rolled her eyes. “I don't know how many times I have to tell you all that…”

“It's okay, Mr. Hoobler. It happens all the time,” Morgan assured him. “Would you like something to drink? Matt, take his bag, will you?”

“Um, sure. He doesn't have to take this, though, I won't be here for long,” Hoobler explained, as the four made their way to the kitchen.

“No offense, but why are you here?” Madison asked. “I'm pretty sure Manchester is almost two hours away.”

“Yeah, it is,” Hoobler agreed. “My ma and I got into it, so I left. I thought I would come and visit. See if Dayton was worth the hype.”

“It is,” Matt said.

“I see,” Madison nodded, ignoring her brother completely. Back in Manchester, Hoobler wasn't well liked due to his mother. It made Madison sad to think about, because Hoobler was a nice guy. “So, where are you staying?”

Hoobler shrugged. Morgan, ever the perfect hostess, placed a cup of coffee in front of him. He thanked her before taking a sip.

“I don't know, yet.”

“That's it. You're staying with us.”

“What about ma and pop?” Matt asked her. It sounded like he wasn't too keen on the idea.

“You know they wouldn't mind,” Morgan pointed out. “They may be surprised, but they would be fine about it.”

And it was true. While Marlene and Matt, Sr. were a little phased to see a stranger in the living playing with their youngest, they welcomed him into their home with open arms when Madison explained who he was and why he was there.

“So many of you need to stop appearing at my doorstep. All of my good rations will be gone!” Marlene joked.

“We don't care how fancy your meals are, mama. We’re just grateful for having decent, basic food,” Madison said. Hoobler, who was busy scarfing down his dinner, nodded in agreement.

“Oh, yeah. This is better than any of Toccoa’s or Fort Benning’s food! Mrs. Klein, you are one fantastic cook.”

Marlene blushed. “Oh, thank you, dear. I'm just glad I'm able to feed a whole house, even if it's just for a few days!”

Everyone at the table laughed. Even if having two members of the household currently enlisted and away from home, even if it made the household budget a little easier, it still didn’t mean that a parent missed taking care of their child. Marlene liked to nurture people, a trait that she passed down to her children.

Once the laughter died down, Hoobler spoke again.

“Did Madison ever tell you guys about the spaghetti we ate?”

“Donny, _no_ ,” Madison warned.

“I wanna hear it!” Mikey said. Hoobler grinned.

“You got it, kid. So, one day, we eat spaghetti for lunch. It was a heaping plate, accompanied by a piece of sliced bread and water.”

“Very nutritious,” Marlene said.

“Yeah, very,” Madison muttered, playing with her food.

“Yup. So, we’re eating, alright? Our friend Perconte is complaining that this food isn’t real Italian food, so I offered to eat it but guess what Maddie did? She slapped my hand, hard. And it hurt!”

All of the Kleins except for Madison laughed. She just scowled.

“You don’t mess with a Klein when it comes to food,” Matt, Sr. warned. “We don’t like it.”

“Yeah. I learned my lesson, but that’s not the story. So, we’re eating, and then suddenly we’re called upon and while classes are cancelled, Easy is forced to run Currahee!”

“Oh no,” Marlene whispered. No one appeared to have hear her.

“So, we get to running and guess what happens?” Hoobler paused. “Everyone starts throwing up! The thing is, we still have to keep running. So everyone’s getting sick, but we’re still running.”

Madison’s nose scrunched. She can still smell the vomit and she felt like was about to as well.

“That was so disgusting,” Madison commented. Her family were either laughing, had their mouth opened in shock, or both.

“It was. The Black Swan kept yelling at us, telling us we were worthless. For a moment, I thought half of us were about to drop right then and there.”

“But you didn’t,” Matt said.

“But we didn’t,” Madison agreed. “A little singing helped us along the way.”

“Boosted up everyone’s moral,” Hoobler agreed. “What would we do without Luz?”

“He’s annoying,” Madison said.

“Maybe a little bit,” Hoobler gave in.

“Luz? Who is Luz?” Matt, Sr. asked. Madison groaned.

“He’s no one, papa. He's just a very annoying man…reminds me of you a little bit, actually.”

Morgan’s mouth gaped open, as well as Marlene’s. Matt was laughing, as Matt, Sr. looked offended and Hoobler was unsure on what to do.

“I can't believe you said that,” Morgan said.

Madison huffed in amusement. “Oh well.”

 

* * *

 

By the time they needed to go back for more training, Madison didn’t want to leave her family. Her family didn’t want her to leave either.

The Kleins dropped Madison and Hoobler off at the train station. Hoobler had already told them goodbye and thanked them for letting him stay, before he left them behind so Madison could say goodbye to her family.

“I am so proud of you,” Marlene hugged her daughter tight. “I don’t care what the papers are saying, you are outstanding and I am proud.”

Madison smiled. “ _Danke_ , mama.”

Matt Sr. held her. He said nothing until he pulled back, studying his daughter.

“You make me proud to be your papa, you know that?”

Madison nodded. “I do. You make me proud to be your daughter. I tell my friends stories about you.”

Matt, Sr. laughed. “I hope they’re the good ones.”

Madison nodded. “They think you’re funny.”

“ _Gut!_ ”

Madison then both said goodbye to Morgan and Mikey. Then she said goodbye to Matt, Jr. last. He would be leaving later on in order to get back to his own unit.

Madison stuck out her hand for him. Her brother took it and then pulled her in for a hug.

“Show the airborne what you got stored in you,” Matt told her. “Take care, _schwester_.”

“You too. Show your division who’s boss,” Madison told him.

“Don’t worry, I do,” Matt replied, rather cockily. Madison stepped back, rolling her eyes at him.

“Don’t get too pumped up now,” she said. She waved to her family as she kept moving back.

“Bye!” Mikey yelled.

“Take care! Tell your friend that I enjoyed having him as a guest! Tell him he can come back anytime!” Marlene shouted.

Madison laughed. “I will!”

Madison stepped onto the train. She turned back to look at her family one last time. She smiled softly. Hopefully, the war would end as soon as it could, so she could be with them soon.


	2. AWOL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: AWOL
> 
> Summary: A little add on/alternative scene of sorts for when Madison and Bill went AWOL in chapter twelve. Inspired by Bill and Babe's book, Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Just as I finished another little segment, and began writing a few more, I'm going on vacation in a few days! I'm hoping I can get some more stuff out before I, unfortunately, return to hell (AKA: school). I'd rather just drop out, but I can't lol.

AWOL

 

Madison had been in the hospital for a few weeks when Bill had shown up. Madison couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the burly, Philly man being wheeled in.

"Bill?"

Bill turned his head in the direction where he had heard his name. He had heard Madison's rather high pitched voice. He gave her a grin as soon as he saw her.

"Maddie! It's good to see ya! How ya been, kiddo?"

Madison was about to respond until she noticed his leg. It looked awful. There was blood and shrapnel and overall, it was not in good shape.

"What happened to you?"

Bill said nothing as he let the nurses settle him into the bed next to Madison's. He hissed, but said nothing else otherwise. When he was finally settled in, he answered the young medic.

"I took a joyride on a motorcycle and got hit by a sniper," Bill explained. He sounded somewhat sheepish, because he knew what was about to come. No one liked it when Madison got upset.

"You what?" Madison yelled. The blond man, Fred Summers, who was sitting on her bed had covered his ears, mouthing an "ow". Madison stopped, inhaling sharply and deeply before she continued her next sentence. It had helped calm, although not completely. She was still not pleased with what she had just heard. Her friend had stolen a motorcycle (she knew he stole it, because where else could he gotten it from?), and took the chance to ride it and as a result, he got hit by a sniper and now he was here. What a moron.

"Bill! What were you thinking?! No, don't answer that. You know why? Because you weren't! You could have gotten yourself killed!"

Bill had to admit, he felt a twinge of guilt when she mentioned that. He knew that she looked up to him as an older brother of sorts. That's why they were always bantering with each other. To hear her scolding him like this...well, she was right. He could have gotten killed. Before Bill could open his mouth to respond to his little friend, the blond man, who was accompanying Madison, beat him to it.

"Um, who is this?"

Bill stared at him, then glanced back to his friend. Who the hell was this scrawny boy? Why was he all up in Maddie's personal space? Madison didn't really like it when any of the men got too close to her, it didn't matter if they were friend or foe. He narrowed his eyes at the blond man.

"Who the hell is this?"

Madison glanced between the two, trying to decide how to diffuse the tension.

"This is Fred Summers, he's a family friend from back home," Madison explained, looking back and forth between her childhood friend and her wartime friend. "Fred, this is Bill Guarnere. He's a part of Easy."

"Oh, so this is Gonorrhea?" Fred's loud voice filled the room. Bill gave Madison a look.

"You told him about that?"

Madison could only give a sheepish look in response.

"Sorry," she shrugged. "But how am I going to entertained myself and my friend here? Have you looked around? It's depressing as hell here."

Madison was right. The hospital was a downer. Some people, like Madison, Bill, Fred, or Buck were okay, but others had it worse. Many had their limbs blown off. Many couldn't leave their beds, and most men were worn out and had a traumatic look on their faces. It was miserable.

Usually, after you get sent to the hospital you would also go to a rehabilitation ward and then go to repo depot, the replacement department. Neither Madison or Bill, who were still trapped in the hospital while Fred was able to return and Buck was transferred, were going to go through that repo depot nonsense. They were going to join Easy whether the superiors liked it or not.

It happened one night in November. It was all Bill's idea.

"Here you go," Madison had scrounged around for some black shoe polish for Bill. He didn't tell her why he needed it, but she knew she was going to find out soon enough anyway. Bill's ideas were never too good. "What do you need it for?"

"We're going AWOL," Bill declared, as he grabbed the shoe polish from his friend and began to rub it over his cast. He was going to make his cast look like a boot, and it would look pretty convincing once he was finished with it.

"I'm sorry?"

"I know you heard me. We're getting out of here. Tonight."

Madison looked dumbfounded as she tried to speak. She couldn't find the words to tell Bill how she felt. Eventually, she had found something to say.

"Bill, if we get caught-"

"We won't!" Bill assured her. "Maddie, you need to get out of here. I need to get out of here. We need to return to Easy!"

Madison thought about it. She didn't want to admit it to Bill, but he was right. She needed to get out of this godforsaken hospital. It was really getting to her. She also knew Bill wouldn't take no for an answer. It was useless to argue with him. She sighed.

"Alright. What are we going to do?"

Bill grinned. He explained that he was using the shoe polish to disguise his cast as a boot. After it dried, they would walk out. Simple enough.

Madison and Bill did exactly that. After the shoe polish dried, Madison help pull Bill's pant leg down and together, the two walked out. Bill was limping, so Madison half carried him. Now, keep in mind, Madison had received a rather nasty concussion back in Operation Market Garden. Even though that was months ago, her concussion has yet to heal. So, while she helped Bill, she still felt rather weak and ill herself. She wasn't about to voice it, however. She needed to get out of the hospital. It was really starting to get to her.

Unfortunately for the two paratroopers, someone had caught them. He took them back to the hospital and threatened to court martial Bill, which pissed off Madison.

"Who do you think you are? Do you know who this is?"

The officer in questioned looked astonished at her. "Miss, you do not talk to an officer that way."

"It's Sergeant Klein to you," Madison knew she sounded rude and quite frankly, a bitch, but she didn't care at the moment. "And usually, I do not talk like this to an officer but when you threaten my friend, you will regret it! Do you know who this man is? This man here, oh, sir. You don't want to mess with him. We don't call him Wild Bill for nothing! You don't want to mess with me as well, for the matter! My, Lord. Sir, if you demote him you will regret it for the rest of your life."

Madison knew that she sounded like she was all over the place. In her defense, she knew she was. Her angry outburst was basically word vomit. She was going to say anything to try to get them to leave.

"We'll just go AWOL again tomorrow, and you'll have to court martial us again. We just want to go back to our outfit," Bill had added, after a rather awkward and tense moment of silence. He couldn't believe that Madison was trying to chew the man out! He was proud of her. He felt like he was watching her grow up which he supposed that in a way, he was.

Madison and Bill didn't get to leave that night, however. After they all agreed in just how crazy the pair were, they cut off Bill's cast and had him walk, then run. They made Madison do the same thing. While it was hard for the both of them, they were able to do it and a week later, they were finally able to leave. Thank God.

After they were finally discharged, the two Easy members took a boat to France before hitchhiking to Mourmelon, where the 506th was at. Madison could picture her mother being furious with her hitchhiking, that she began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Bill asked. Madison kept laughing as she answered.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking of my mama. She would be so mad that I hitchhiked!" Madison was finally able to calm down from her sudden outburst of laughter. "Apparently her brother did it one time and it didn't end up so well."

"What happened?" Bill asked. Madison shrugged.

"I'm not really sure. I think he got beaten up pretty bad," Madison winced as she explained. Her poor uncle. Although, come to think of it, she really didn't like him anyway. She wasn't a big fan of her mother's family, if she had to be honest.

Bill let out a low whistle. "Well, it's good that you have old Wild Bill to keep ya safe!"

Madison snorted. "Bill, please."

Madison and Bill arrived in Mourmelon not too long after. Before they could get reunited with their friends, they had to report to Winters first. Winters wasn't surprised to see Bill, and he was impressed that he had Madison with him in tow.

"Look what the train brought in," Welsh grinned. "The Daredevil and his sidekick, the Mighty Mouse."

Madison flashed a look at Welsh before moving forward to Winters, who was standing behind a desk. Madison's eyes widen at the sight.

"Welcome back," Winters greeted Bill and Madison, shaking their hands.

"It's good to be back, sir," Madison said, as observed him. "I can't believe you're behind that desk."

"Never thought I'd see you behind a desk, sir," Bill agreed, as he shook Nixon's hand. Madison hadn't noticed him and Nixon flashed her a smile. "How's it going, Klein?"

"I'm well, sir. Thank you."

"Well, sir, we just went AWOL from the hospital," Madison heard Bill telling Winters. "Hopefully that won't cause you a problem."

"Would you care if it did?" Winters asked.

"Not a bit, sir," Madison could hear the grin in her friend's voice. She couldn't help but let a smile grow. It grew wider as Bill told them how they got caught and was threatened with court martial and demotion, and how Madison yelled at the officer who had threatened to do so against Bill. Nixon whistled, impressed.

"Gotta watch out for the tiny ones, they'll tear you right up," Nixon commented. Madison looked down towards the ground, face turning red.

Madison didn't talk anymore after that, besides giving Winters a letter Moose Heyliger had written. She felt like a child listening to the adults just babbling away. It felt like an hour had passed before Bill cleared his throat.

"Well, uh. We're just gonna go find some trouble," the man said, tapping Madison's shoulder to let her know they were leaving. Both soldiers gave Winters a salute, who returned it. The two friends made their way to leave when Winters called them out.

"Bill? No more joyriding. And you," Winters gave a pointed look. "Be careful, we can't afford to lose you again." Madison said nothing, offering a small, thin smile. Winters returned it.

"Has anyone heard of a place called Lulu's?" Bill asked. Madison could feel her cheeks heat up, embarrassed by Bill's question.

"I haven't but judging by Klein's face, she has," Welsh said, which made Madison thought that she was burning in hell by this point. Nixon chuckled. Bill did too, ruffling her hair.

"I hate you," Madison mumbled.

"I love you, too," Bill returned cheekily. "Come on, I know the men will be happy to see you again."

**Author's Note:**

> TRANSLATIONS
> 
> Ist, dass Du, Schatz? - Is that you, sweetheart?
> 
> Ja, Großvater, es ist mir - Yes, grandfather, it is me
> 
> Wir haben zehn Tage Urlaub - We have a ten day leave
> 
> mädchen - girl
> 
> Opa - Grandpa
> 
> mein liebling - my love
> 
> Ja - yes
> 
> Hündin - Bitch
> 
> Köszönöm! - Thank you!
> 
> Glückwünsche - Congratulations
> 
> Vielen Dank, auch. Ich kann nicht glauben, dass sie eine so kleine Mann in die Marines! - Thank you, too. I can not believe that they such a small man in the Marines!
> 
> Sagt der zwerg - Says the dwarf
> 
> Nein - No
> 
> Danke - Thank you
> 
> Gut - Good
> 
> Schwester - Sister
> 
> * * *
> 
> I read somewhere that IRL Hoobler wasn't very well liked because of his mother (apparently, she was a religious fanatic) and I'm just like :(
> 
> Margie is Margaret. She's mentioned in the hospital chapter in WOEOT.


End file.
